CATCH-22Sponsored by Sunday European Campaign.
Join us for the May 2013 Sunday European Campaign's "Operation Strangle".
"Operation Strangle" Frame 1 write up can be read
here.
Featuring a interdiction and air defense plots.
Some of you are old enough to remember the movie of 1970, CATCH-22. There was a lot of history surrounding
the events of the movie. I want to get the immersion going for next week's first frame by providing some interesting
video and information regarding this period of WWII in the Mediterranean. I hope you enjoy the links and find time
to do some additional reading concerning the period.
We hope to see you all next Sunday at 3:00 pm EST and 8:0 pm UK time for "Operation Strangle".
Catch-22[Click above to see the opening movie sequence.]
What is Catch 22 anyway? Catch-22 is a satirical and somewhat historical novel by the American author Joseph Heller. He began writing
it in 1953, and the novel was first published in 1961. It is set during World War II in 1943 and is frequently
cited as one of the great literary works of the twentieth century. It uses a distinctive non-chronological
third-person omniscient narration, describing events from different characters' points of view and out of
sequence so that the time line develops along with the plot.
The novel follows Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bombardier. Most of the events in the
book occur while the fictional 256th squadron is based on the island of Pianosa, in the Mediterranean Sea west
of Italy. The novel looks into the experiences of Yossarian and the other airmen in the camp, and their attempts
to keep their sanity in order to fulfill their service requirements, so that they can return home. The phrase
"Catch-22", "a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the
problem or by a rule," has entered the English language.
Catch 22 explained[Click above to see the explanation.]
The 310th Bombardment Group in CorsicaWhen moving operations from North Africa to Corsica at the end of the African Campaign the mission role of the
310th changed from strategic and tactical bombardment to the familiar role of only tactical attacks. While the
379th squadron pursued their low- level sea sweeps in the Greek Islands, the other three squadrons kept up
attacks in the destruction of German transportation and communications.
January 1944 saw the 428th Squadron flying the first of the low-level sea sweeps from the Island of Corsica.
These attacks against coastal installations and shipping resulted in high losses from flak and fighters in the group.
An operation called "Strangle", the choking of German communications, ships, harbors, railroads and their yards,
airfields, supply dumps and other targets initiated in 1944 zeroed in on the bridges of Italy. Knocking them down
and in that way cut the flow of men, equipment and supplies to the German front lines and eventually lead
to the enemy retreating.
Group strength under the command of Col. Anthony Hunter was 1,319 men and 72 aircraft. While the ground
battle continued to move north, the 310th took part in operation "Anvil", the invasion of Southern France. As
battle lines were condensed by the German retreat into the Po Valley and Brenner Pass, anti aircraft fire became
more intense and concentrated. Even so we continued to hit our targets. Just as it had been all through Italy
the targets were bridges, often pontoon or makeshift crossings constructed overnight by the Germans.
The 379th Bombardment Squadron History of the 310th BG by Ed Betts of the 379th BSAgain, We hope that you enjoy the reading the links and the video and we hope to see you for the
first frame of "Operation Strangle"
Redtail7
